Dearborn Partners LLC Increases Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Dearborn Partners LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,598 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the period. Dearborn Partners LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,079,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 1.4 %

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $238.76 on Tuesday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $206.71 and a 52 week high of $277.60. The firm has a market cap of $54.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $246.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $250.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.71%.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $249.37 per share, with a total value of $87,279.50. Following the purchase, the director now owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,580,979.50. The trade was a 3.50 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were bought at an average price of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on NSC shares. Barclays increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Loop Capital lowered Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday. They set a “buy” rating and a $293.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.95.

Norfolk Southern Profile

Norfolk Southern Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail transportation of raw materials, intermediate products, and finished goods in the United States. The company transports agriculture, forest, and consumer products comprising soybeans, wheat, corn, fertilizers, livestock and poultry feed, food products, food oils, flour, sweeteners, ethanol, lumber and wood products, pulp board and paper products, wood fibers, wood pulp, beverages, and canned goods; chemicals consist of sulfur and related chemicals, petroleum products comprising crude oil, chlorine and bleaching compounds, plastics, rubber, industrial chemicals, chemical wastes, sand, and natural gas liquids; metals and construction materials, such as steel, aluminum products, machinery, scrap metals, cement, aggregates, minerals, clay, transportation equipment, and military-related products; and automotive, including finished motor vehicles and automotive parts, as well as coal.